NerdStrong Gym - It's All About The Dudes

Today only three other guys showed up for a the 7am class, Derek, Jason S. and Jason M. And Coach Andrew was teaching so it was a sausage fest at NerdStrong Gym.

We had a good warm up and then got into a three part workout. The first part we had to do for 15 minutes. It consisted of 5x Strict Pull Ups, 12-15x Hollow Rock and 5-10x Strict Push Ups.

We went at our own pace but tried to keep it constant. Since I can only do one, maybe two strict pull ups I did the scaled down version called reverse negatives instead. That' pulling your chin up to the bar (with the help of a box) and then slowly releasing your body back down... it's tough. The hollow rock is lying on your back and contorting your body into a "C" shape and then rocking back and forth. As for strict push ups, I may not like them but I'm getting pretty good at them, at least with the form.

The second part of the workout was working with barbells and doing Back Squats. We were going for our 1 Rep Max!! But we started with 5 at about 60% weight, then 3 at 70% 2 at 90% and then 1 at your Max until you couldn't do any more.

Since I didn't have a 1 Rep Max I didn't know where to start but knew I could do quite a bit so I started at 95lbs and did 5 reps. I then added 20lbs for a total of 115lbs and did 3 reps before adding another 30lbs to make it 145lbs and doing 2 reps and then I continued to add weight until I knew I had hit my max which was 200lbs. I back squatted 200 lbs, that's just crazy. I probably could have done more but having the bar on the back of my neck was hurting and it prevented me from going any future.  Next time I'll see if I can push myself a bit more and do 205lbs.

The final part of the workout was doing Sit Ups as fast as we can in :30 seconds. We then would rest for :30 seconds and do it again three more times. The goal was to do the same amount each time. I manged to do 15 Sit Ups in :30 seconds four consecutive times for a total of 60 sit ups in 2 minutes... not bad.

Another fantastic workout at NerdStrong Gym... thanks coach Andrew.

MASH Podcast, SDCC Woes Continue & Galavant Gag Reel

Today Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 101, covering S5 Ep 4 "Out of Sight, Out of Mind". You can Download from itunes tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes , listen on Stitcher Radio ow.ly/iZJIz or listen and get direct download from our main website MASH4077Podcast.com  Don't forget new episodes are released on the 1st and 15th of the month.

So it's been 48 hours since I last chatted with the folks over at Travel Planner about my San Diego Comic Con Hotel reservation. It's well past the 24 hours that they promised that my reservation page would be fixed. This time I was only on hold for 15 minutes before I had to explain for the third time what my situation was and the progress of fixing my page. Again like with the others this person couldn't figure out why my reservation was "locked", she put me on hold so she could talk to her supervisor (same as the previous two people). She got back on and said that they were trying to fix the problem and that if I didn't mind being on hold a bit longer.. and honestly I would have stayed on hold as long as it took for them to fix it. Finally she gets back on and says that she is transferring me to her supervisor who will take care of me. So I'm transferred and I have to explain my situation for a fourth time. When I told him that I had called two previous times and each person said it would be fixed in 24 hours the guy laughed and said that was misinformation. He said IT can take up to a week to fix the problem and possible more since there are a few hundred other reservations that are having issues.

He said there isn't anything he can do the help me at this time but he did say that there is a note to keep this reservation from going back into the pool. Speaking of that he said that the site can be fixed any day but if it's not working by the weekend then to call back by Tuesday as the Hotels lottery is having a second event for all the rooms that people didn't take on Wednesday. He said he's sure things will be busy on Wednesday and the phone system will be a mess. So I'm going to wait until Monday and if the site is still down I'll give them a call one last time. He assured me that my room is safe and that all will we settled soon. I can only hope he wasn't blowing up my butt.. guess only time will tell... I'll keep you all updated.

One last thing I want to share with you guys, especially if you were fans of the ABC four-week "comedy extravaganza" musical series Galavant. This looks to be an official Gag Reel that will probably be on the DVD/Blu-ray of season one. Check it out below.

NerdStrong Gym - Run Roh!!!

After the "low blood sugar" fiasco yesterday I made sure I had a nice big bowl of oatmeal. As I know with these "CON" classes can take a lot of stamina as they are a constant workout for a lengthy period of time.

Today's workout was called "Run Roh" And once again Coach Blair put together another crazy workout.

At first when you look at it you think that doesn't look like much but believe me it's alot. Added all together we Ran & Rowed 1500 meters each.

We first partnered up and I was teamed up with my buddy Derek once again. We were doing nothing but Running and Rowing but it was in the format of a ladder workout. We started with a 250 meter Run/Row, then 500 meter Run/Row, then 750 meter Run/Row and then started making our way back down with a 500 meter Run/Row and finally a 250 meter Run/Row. Derek and I were part of the first groups to do the workout (there were actually two groups). One person would Row while your partner would Run and then you'd switch. This was a timed event and coach Blair gave us 25 minutes to complete it.

I started with Rowing and the first 250 meters was a piece of cake. I then did my first 250 meter run (which is one time around the parking lot) but like with the rowing I was feeling great. I then started the 500 meter row and about halfway through I started to feel it. I pushed through the rest of the row and then begin my 500 meter run. It's crazy to think but the run is actually time to rest as you take it at your own pace. I didn't want to stop and walk so I continued to run/jog at a slower then usual pace. The 750 meter row was a huge hurdle to get over. I was good for about half of it and then like with the 500 meter I hit a wall and struggled to finish. Once the 750 meter row was done my legs were feeling like jelly but I now had to do the 750 meter run. Slow and steady is my plan.

Next I started down the ladder and did the 500 meter row and 500 meter run. As I was finishing the run I had about 30 seconds in the 25 minutes allotted to start my final 250 meter row. As time expired I was about 150 meters into the row and I knew the next group had to start and coach Blair even said that I needed to stop but as the next group was getting ready I pushed myself harder to finish and I did... I did the full 250 meters before the next group got started. I then finished my last 250 meter run and was feeling great. I managed to finish the entire workout in just over 27 minutes. It was a great feeling especially after yesterday failed workout. I got some high fives and well done from fellow members which is always nice. Thanks coach Blair for your continued support and encouragement.

Latest Eps of The Flash & SHIELD - My Thoughts

After a rough start to my day I was happy to be home from work and watching some of my favorite TV with my buddy Erik (via Skype).

We started with the latest episode of The Flash S1 Ep 17 "Trickster" Barry and Joe go after terrorist Axel Walker, who goes by the name Trickster. Axel sets a diversion for the Flash so that he can break James Jesse, the original Trickster from 20 years prior, out of prison. James and Axel attempt to extort wealthy patrons by poisoning them and ransoming the antidote. When the Flash arrives, the Tricksters fit him with a bomb that will detonate if he stops moving. Dr. Wells coaches Barry on how to vibrate his molecules so that he can phase through objects, which removes the bomb. Afterward, Barry provides an antidote to all the patrons, before capturing the Tricksters. Later, the Flash reveals his identity to Eddie, so he can help keep Iris from looking into Dr. Wells for her own protection, as Barry realizes that Wells is the Reverse-Flash. In flashbacks, after failing to kill Barry as a child, the Reverse-Flash escapes down the road only to lose his speed. Gideon informs him that travelling back in time has drained his powers. He removes his mask to reveal the real Eobard Thawne. Eobard stalks Dr. Wells and reveals the particle accelerator is not built until the year 2020. He then appears to kill Wells and steal his appearance and identity so he can develop the particle accelerator sooner and return to his timeline.

The Trickster stuff was awesome as it was a throw back to fans of the original Flash TV series. Mark Hamel was excellent returning as the original Trickster but I have to say my favorite part of this episode was all the info we got about who the Reverse-Flash really was. Turns out that it's not Dr. Wells, well it is but it's not. This Eobard Thawne killed Wells and assumed his identity in order to make the particle accelerator years sooner then it was actually made. Also I liked Eddie's reaction finding out that Barry is The Flash and speaking of Eddie.. isn't his last name Thawne.. so is this Eobard a distant relative... interesting.

The previews for the remaining season looked amazing with another crossover with Arrow which includes what looks like every character from Arrow including Atom.. can't wait.

Next we watched the latest Agent's of SHIELD S2 Ep 15 "One Door Closes" War comes to Coulson's doorstep in a way he never anticipated as shocking revelations are brought to light, and Skye struggles to control her new abilities but will soon make a decision that irrevocably changes her life.

I have loved this series since day one and the first episode and I didn't think I could love it any more but I was wrong. This series continues to blow me away. Season two has been on fast forward since it started. I'm always worried they are going to drag out something or not reveal something but then the very next episode it's resolved  and more questions and asked. We get the back story to this "real" SHIELD group and to be honest I understand why they created a second SHIELD though I may not agree with it.

I loved the scene with Gemma and Bobbi and Gemma tricking Bobbi and taking her out. I liked all the flash backs to the day SHIELD fell. It's cool seeing stuff that was happening while Captain America was fighting the Winter Soldier. It was great seeing Lucy Lawless' character again. I'm happy to see Fitts and Simmons kind of a duo again or at least heading that way.

I don't think Mac and Bobbi will every be trusted again by Coulson so it will be interesting to see what happens to them when the dust settles. And I loved the fight scenes between May and Bobbi.. just wish they lasted a bit longer but then we all know that May would have kicked Bobbi ass. I love that May kind of sacrificed herself to save Coulson and to look out for Fitts and Simmons. And what a great way to have Hunter return.

Like I said.. so much awesome in one episode but the big thing for me was the scenes with Skye. First season Skye I wasn't a fan of, she and Ward were my least favorite characters but man has she moved up on my list. Her meeting with Gordan and the audience getting to know him a little better was awesome and then of course the final scene when Bobbi and that other douche bag agent are after Skye and the douche bag agent shots Skye and Bobbi yells her name to save her and then Skye let's lose with her powers and disintegrates that tree while pushing back Bobbi and douche bag agent was amazing. And then she calls for Gordan to come take her.

I can't wait to next week to see what happens next for Skye. She is going to be one powerful InHuman.  Below is my favorite scene for this episode.. it's not the best quality but it gets the point across.

NerdStrong Gym - Battle Stations!!!

Today's workout is one of my favorite types of workouts. It was titled Battle Stations. And the first half consisted of six different areas with six different workouts.

I got teamed up with my friend Liz and we started in station 6, Block Taps. We had to do 3 rounds of :30 seconds of work and then :30 rest.

As I mentioned we started with Block Taps which was a nice way to start as they were just jumping up and down and tapping the top of a block. Once you got into a rhythm it wasn't that bad.

Next was station 1, Rope Climb. We actually didn't have to climb a rope instead a rope was hung over the pull up bar and a kettlebell was attached to the other then. We then had to pull the rope down hand over hand until the kettlebell hit the top of the bar. Liz took the lighter Kettlebell while I took the heavier 45lbs kettlebell. This wasn't to bad and actually a pretty cool workout.

We then moved on to station 2, Prone Wallball Toss, which is a Sit Up while holding a Wallball on your way up from the sit up you have to bounce the ball against the wall and catch it before going back down in the sit up. Once again I took the heavier of the wallballs, and it was tough making a 20lbs wallball bounce off a wall and back into my arms. I think this was the toughest workout for me.

The 3rd station as called Quasimodo. It was similar to station 1 as it too used a rope over a pull up bar with a kettlebell attacked to the other end. But instead of pulling the kettlebell up hand over hand we had to twist our body and lean and pull away from the wall, coach Andrew said it was like if you were ringing a large bell (hence the name). Also like with he rope climb I really enjoyed this one.

Station 4 was Short Wave with Battle ropes. I don't know why but I just love Battle Ropes and as the title said these were very small and short waves, coach Andrew even had some fun and put his hand over my ropes and said I want you to hit my hand, which of course I had to do.. such a great workout.

We moved on to station 5, Plate Orbits, this one looked easy as all you did was pick up a weighted plate and rotate it around your head and shoulders in one direction 5 times and then in the opposite direction 5 more times. I used a 25lbs weight and the first go round was pretty easy.

We then did it all over again and on the third round I was feeling it. Station 6 Block Taps were getting tough as I was losing steam but with the encouragement of my team mate Liz I finished and then at station 1, Rope Climbs I started to get dizzy and I could only do one pull. Station 2, Prone Wallball Toss was easier as I was lying on the ground, Station 3, Quasimodo wasn't to bad but afterwards I was feeling horrible, my blood sugar levels were dropping. I tried to do station 4, Short Wave but couldn't, instead I went outside to my car and grabbed some tangerines, which I store there for emergencies like this. I quickly ate two of them and was going to try and finish off the last station, Plate Obits but I just couldn't do it.

I sat for a good five minutes before coach Andrew went on to explain the next half of the workout. This one was also three rounds. We started with 10x (Pull Ups) Rings Rows, then 20x Sit Ups, 30x Jump Squats and then a mandatory 1 minute rest before doing 20x Kettlebell Swings and again a mandatory :30 second rest before doing it all over again.

I was feeling better as the sugars in the tangerines were kicking in so I did the first round with no issues, but on the second round I felt the dizziness return while doing the Jump Squats, but I did mange to finish the second round. The third round was nothing but a struggle. Again Ring Rows weren't that difficult and sit ups were fine as I was sitting but Jump Squats weren't happening. I sat there trying to stay conscious while everyone around me finished off the workout. I was feeling frustrated as I knew I could finish but my body wasn't going to allow me to and of course coach Andrew notice and came over to me and gave me a bit of a pep talk to lift my spirits... thanks Andrew.

So it wasn't my best workout but I did mange to do 90% and I did enjoy it until I started to feel dizzy and sick but with a ten minute rest afterwards and another tangerine I was feeling better and well enough to drive home.

SDCC Hotel Reservation Fiasco Continues

So my SDCC hotel nightmare continues. Today is the deadline to put down a credit card number to guarantee/hold your room. I still can't do that as the website is giving me an error with my reservation number. I called last week on Friday and after being on hold for 45 minutes the person on the other end of the call was not able to help as it was an IT issue and she wasn't able to get into my reservation either. She said that she would report to IT and that it should be fixed within 24 hours.

Well it's three days later and the website/reservation is still locked and I'm not able to add my CC to my hotel room so once again I called and once again I as on hold for a half hour. When I finally got through I explained my situation to this new person, he put me on hold while he discussed it with his supervisor. Fifteen minute later he gets back on and says that there is nothing they can do at this time, they have to wait for IT to fix the page which shouldn't take more then 24 hours... yeah right.

On the plus side he did make a note not to let this reservation go due to lack of credit card. He said when they fix the issue (again with in 24 hours) I will then have 24 hours to add my credit card. So know I must wait and see if the IT department actual fixes the issue and can finally confirm my hotel reservation for San Diego Comic Con... finger crossed.

Jupiter Ascending - My Review

I was finally able to see Jupiter Ascending, as it's now playing in our "cheap" theater here in town. I've wanted to see this movie since I saw the first trailer last year. And yes I have heard all the horrible things people and critics have said about the film but luckily I don't care. It looks amazing and I can't wait to see it on the big screen.

If you don't know what Jupiter Ascending is about here's a brief synopsis: Jupiter Jones was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people's houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine Wise, a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along - her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

First let me say that I LOVED IT!!! I don't have a clue what people were complaining about. The visuals alone were a good enough reason to see this movie but the Universe they built and the creatures that inhabited it were amazing. I've heard major complaints about people being confused by the story but I understood what was going on the entire time. The SFX were unbelievable and there were alot of them. The fight scenes were awesome and I enjoyed all the main characters. At times I was wondering if I was watching the same movie all the "complainers" were watching.

I am extremely happy that I went and saw this on the big screen and when it comes out on Blu-Ray I'll be sure to pick it up as I can see myself watching this over and over.. another hit from the Wachowskis in my opinion. Their last two films (Cloud Atlas & Jupiter Ascending) both were amazing though they didn't do well at the box office. I give Jupiter Ascending a solid B+

Lunch w/Friends & Watching The Flash

After the Aliens workout Andrew S., Derek, Liz, Lauren and I went to a local diner (Hungry Fox) to grab some breakfast, well at the time it was breakfast but after waiting a while to get seating and then waiting for our food it was lunch time. Though the other four got breakfast I decided to get some lunch. It was fun hanging with these guys as we are normally just being tortured at the gym when we hang out so it was fun  hanging out, outside of the gym. The food and service was really good but it's not a place that you want to eat if you are in a hurry... though when we left around 1pm it looked like their were tables to be had so maybe it's just a very popular breakfast joint.

Got home around 2 and hooked up online with my buddy Erik so we could watch a few episodes of Flash that we had recorded from previous weeks. We watched S1 Ep 15 "Out of Time" & S1 Ep 16 "Rogue Time".

Synopsis for episode 15 - Mark Mardon, who has the ability to control the weather, returns to Central City to avenge the death of his brother Clyde and sets his sight on Joe. Cisco begins to believe Joe was right about Wells, so he rechecks the containment field that had failed to hold the Reverse-Flash. He discovers that the Reverse-Flash seen in the containment field was only a hologram. Wells arrives and reveals himself to be Eobard Thawne, a man from the future who came back in time to kill Barry but killed his mother instead, and has since been stranded in the present day. Wells also explains that he is pushing Barry to get stronger so that he can use Barry's powers to return to his time, and he murders Cisco to protect his secret. Mark kidnaps Joe and forces him to watch as Mark sends a tsunami into the city in order to kill Iris. Barry is forced to reveal his secret identity to Iris, just after she admits to romantic feelings for him, in order to save the city. Barry runs back and forth across the coastline to create a barrier against the tsunami, but he runs so fast that he creates a time warp and travels back in time to when Mark first returned to Central City.

I watched this episode and my jaw dropped with every twist and turn... Everything is revealed.. I kept thinking to myself.. OMG this is a game changer. And then moments later.. OMG they just killed Cisco.. and then OMG the Captain just sacrificed himself for Joe and btw he's gay (which I loved, of course). And then Barry reveals himself to Iris that he's The Flash.. my mind was blown away by this episode.. well that was until the last five minutes when The Flash moves so fast he throws himself back in time to the previous day so none of what we just saw happened. I mean I was disappointed because this was such a HUGE game changer of an episode but it's all for nothing. Moving onto the next episode.

Synopsis for episode 16 - As Barry begins to relive the previous day, Dr. Wells realizes what happened and warns Barry not to change any event for fear that he will create a bigger problem as the universe balances itself. Barry does not listen and instead captures Mark Mardon before he can kidnap Joe. Meanwhile, Leonard Snart and Mick Rory return to Central City. Leonard sends his sister Lisa after Cisco, whom they force to rebuild the cold and heat guns, and a third gun for Lisa that turns people into gold, under threat that they will kill Cisco's brother. Barry realizes that Dr. Wells was right, and his actions have resulted in Cisco's kidnapping and Iris rejecting his romantic advances. Cisco returns and reveals that Leonard tortured his brother until Cisco revealed the Flash's true identity. Barry goes after the Snarts, and the two develop an uneasy truce: Snart will not reveal Barry's identity, will no longer kill innocent people, and stay away from Barry's friends in exchange for Barry not locking him away in the particle accelerator. The Reverse-Flash kills a local reporter and destroys evidence linking Dr. Wells to the death of Simon Stagg. The reporter's vanishing causes Barry to think Joe might be right about Dr. Wells.

I enjoyed this episode and watching this one helped me to not be so disappointed in the last five minutes of the previous episode. I liked where this one went. I mean I'm glad Cisco isn't dead and that the Captain is already. It was tough watching Barry be such a idiot when it came to Iris and her love for him but I did like the ending and that storyline seems to be back to normal for the time being. I'm happy to see that Barry is starting to get suspicious about Dr. Wells. I hope this storyline is resolved by the end of this season.

Overall two really good episodes, The Flash is quickly becoming "must see" TV for me. 

NerdStrong Gym - Aliens

Today is Sunday.. one of my favorite workout days because they are always themed. Today's theme was Aliens (see previous blog post as we watched the movie last night).

You know it's going to be a good workout when you see the warm up and it looks like the workout itself. Needless to say lots of stretching happened before we began the workout. And at the end of the warm up we had to do 3 rounds of 30x Jumping Jacks, 20x Mountain Climbers and 10x Squats. I was already exhausted when we finished warming up.

Now on to the actual workout and it was a good one. 

Coach Andrew was playing douchebag Burke, while Seely played both Sergeant Apone and Ripley.

We start by "Awakening from HyperSleep" and doing TABATA (8 rounds, 20 seconds of workout, 10 seconds of rest) We were doing Hollow Holds and then Push Ups. So you'd start with a Hollow Hold (which is laying on your back and lifting your feet and legs a few inches off the ground and also lifting your head and shoulders a few inches off the ground and then holding that positions. It's only 20 seconds but man it feels like a lifetime. We then had a 10 second break which gives you just enough time to turn over and get into a Push Up position and then do 20 seconds worth of Push Ups. We did this eight times while Sergeant Apone (Seely) "encouraged" us to do better.

For the next part of the workout we had to team up ( My partner was Lauren). We then started what would be a total of 16 minutes of workout. The first section "Crash Site to Operational" This consisted of running two laps around the parking lot.. not only are you running but Burke (Coach Andrew) has requested that you take one of the Alien Pods (aka Medicine Ball) and bring it to him so we had to run with a 14lbs medicine ball. Lauren and I began our run and about 1/4 way through I passed the "Alien Pod" to her and she run with it for a bit and we'd switch back and forth for the two laps.

The next section was "Building Barriers and Surviving Attacks" This workout consisted of 1x Farm Walk (which meant one partner would carry the "Alien Pod" while the other had to carry a weight in each hand but you had to hold it in the crease of your thumb and pointer finger, you couldn't hold it with you actual finger tips.) Luckily we didn't have to walk to far but it was still tough.

We then came back in and did 50x Medicine Ball Sit Ups, we'd split these up 25 each. We did another Farm Walk before doing 50x Medicine Ball Push Ups. Again we split this between the two of us and it was tough as you had to do a push up while on the medicine ball. We then did another Farm Walk and came back inside and did 100x Medicine Ball Mountain Climbers. Again this was like the push up as you are doing mountain climbers while balancing on the medicine ball. And like with the other workouts we split this up and did 50 each. Another Farm Walk before doing our final workout for this section 100 Wall Balls. Unfortunately or fortunately our time ran out and Lauren and I only manage to do 5 Wall Balls each, but we were both extremely happy as we didn't think we'd get that far.

Oh I forgot to mention during this workout, very four minutes.. Andrew (Burke) would roll a three sided die while Seely (Riply) would also roll a 3 sided die. If the numbers matched then Burke did not release any Facehuggers into the room.. if the numbers didn't match we'd have to do Wall Ball Burpees for the number that Burke rolled. Needless to say the odds were not in our favor and in the end we had to defeat seven Facehuggers by doing seven Wall Ball Burpees.

And for our final event was titled "Airlock" Which of course gets it's name for the end battle of Ripley and the Alien Queen. This was a Max Hang. All you had to do was hang from a bar as long as you could. And if you wanted to make it more authentic you could add a dumbbell and hold it between your feet like when the Alien Queen was pulling on Riply's foot. I opted for that as I wanted to make it as real as possible. Unfortunately I didn't even make it to one minute. I was disappointed in myself as I thought I'd be able to hold on for a while but it wasn't meant to be.

This was an extremely tough workout but also very fun. Thanks to Lauren my workout partner.. she did an amazing job and I want to thank coach Andrew for creating it.  Themed workouts are the best.

Another Potter Podcast & NerdStrong Movie Night

I got home from the gym and had just a half hour to get ready to record another podcast for Treks in Sci Fi. Rico and I continue looking at the Harry Potter book and movie series. Today's podcast covered Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This is probably my favorite of the books and I really enjoyed this movie as this is when the look of the films took a much darker and more realistic take. Rico and I recorded for just over two hours and had a great time discuss this book/film. I'll have it all edited up and it should be posted towards the end of April and as you all know I'll mentioned it again on my blog when it's released.

During the evening I headed back to NerdStrong Gym, not to work out but for movie night. Tonight we are watching my favorite of the Alien movies... Aliens. This is my first movie night at NerdStrong as the last movie night when they watched The Last Starfighter landed on my D&D night so I couldn't go. So I was looking forward to this. I brought my comfy chair (which everyone commented on), some snacks to share as well as a whole cooked chicken (it was my dinner). Around 20 people showed up, found a place to cope a squat and the movie began. We watched the directors cut of the movie, which I've only seen once. The biggest difference that I noticed was the entire "colony" scene where we are introduced to Newt and her family and the beginning of the outbreak on the planet.

I wasn't sure if this was going to be in the style of Mystery Science 3000 with folks chatting and commenting to what is happening on screen, but for the most part it was silent and everyone was focused on the movie. Of course all of Hudsons one liners got a huge laughs, as they always do. It was an enjoyable evening of snacks, aliens & friends. Now I get to look forward to tomorrows workout which will be Aliens themed... can't wait!!

Oh and I want to mention my friend Erin wore this amazing Ahsoka Tano outfit to the screening.. she looked great. We're both HUGE fans and enjoy talking Ahsoka when we can.

NerdStrong Gym - Rowing & Thrusters

Saturday NerdStrong class was a good one, another CON session. We started with a warm up of rowing and PVC Pass Thrus. We did 100 meters of rowing then did 10x PVC Pass Thrus and repeated it three times.

We then went over techniques for Rowing and Thrusters. For Rowing they showed us how to do a quick release from the foot bands, luckily it was something that I was already doing. And for Thrusters we went over form to ensure that we were all doing it properly.

The workout was done in heats. Since there were nine of us we were broken down into three heats. I was part of heat 3, which meant I went last. This was a consistent 8 minute workout which involved funny enough Rowing and Thrusters. We first did a 15 Calorie Row (depending on your reach that can take two to three rows per calorie), and then we had to grab either a barbell or some dumbbells (my choice) and do 15x Thrusters.

For the first round, Heat 3 were just cheerleaders, cheering on Heat 1. When Heat 2 started we became coaches and counted their reps while encouraging them. And finally it was Heat 3's turn. I actually got the furthest in my heat, I did 3 complete rounds of rowing and thrusters and then got in 8 more rows before my eight minutes was up.

I definitely pushed myself to my limit and just beyond but I felt great just a few minutes later.  Another successful and fun workout at NerdStrong gym.. Thanks Andrew

SDCC Hotel Issues

So I have a secure hotel room and I was happy but then my buddy Steven informed me that he had an extra room at the some hotel and wanted to offer it to me. It was cheaper then the one Robert got but it was also only a "twin" room, Roberts was a Quad. But my brother and I have talked about getting a room just for the two of us, I've always shared with three other people... so I told Steve I would take it. I went online and tried to modify the info and put the hotel room in my name, well that didn't go well. The page has broken and now I can't add my credit card or make any modifications. So instead I called their 800 number and was on hold for over 45 minutes before finally getting a hold of them. I explained the situation to the woman on the other end and she tried to add my credit card info but she was unable to do it as well. There seems to be a glitch in their system effecting my reservation. She "supposedly" reported it to the their IT department. 

I then asked to change the hotel room reservation name to mine and gave her my information but like with the glitch with the credit card, she wasn't able to change anything on my reservation. She said the IT people should have it fixed within 24 hours and to try again tomorrow.. fingers crossed all goes well.

NerdStrong Gym - Open Gym

Today is my first Friday workout at NerdStrong Gym, it's an open gym session and I want to start working on building up my chest and back. Being short and stocky has some benefits, like a "barrel" chest. My chest has always been large and I also have a somewhat "V" shape to my body. I just want to enhance what I already have and really define the "V".

I spoke with coach Blair and he created a personal workout routine for me.  It started with 5 Reps for 5 Rounds of Dumbbell Rows, but unlike the other dumbbell rows that I have done for previous classes he had me do these from a bench instead of on the floor.

I then moved on to Bar Pull Ups and again I did 5 Reps for 5 Rounds. These were tough but man do you feel them working the back muscles.

I then did 10 Reps for 5 Rounds of something called Supermanz. And they pretty much are what they sound like. You lay on the ground and lift your head and shoulder off up while simultaneously lifting your legs and feet off the ground. This seems easy at first but when your on round 4 you really start to feel it.

And the final thing I did was Bench Press, these I did will fellow workout buddy Josh, we did 8 reps at a light weight, then 5, then 3, then 2 and finally 1 at our heaviest weight. I set a new record for me for Bench Press. I managed to do a press at 175 lbs.

Overall I was very happy with this workout.. Thanks coach Blair for creating it and I look forward to continuing my Friday Open Gym Workouts.

NerdStrong Six Days A Week!!!

Downton To End, Alien Nation Reboot & Con Crazies

So I've been hearing rumors the past few weeks that season/series six of Downton Abbey will be the last season/series. I kept saying that I won't believe it until it's official.. well it's official. Season/Series 6 will be the final visit with the Crawleys. I am extremely disappointed that they have decided to end the series. It's one of my favorites and a series I can watch over and over again, in fact I have watched the first five seasons over and over again. I know they are currently filming season/series six so hopefully will get some closure with these characters. I expect several weddings or at least engagements. I guess I should be thankful that we got / will get six amazing seasons. It will be sad saying goodbye to this family.

There have been rumors of Fox resurrecting Alien Nation, as a movie or as a new TV series. Well it looks like rumors are abound once again and Fox is looking into rebooting the movie. Only time will tell if it actually happens or not. If it does it will be interesting to see how they go about rebooting it.

So we got the results of the SDCC hotel lottery and I didn't get anything. So I had to wait and see if any of my friends got anything. And luckily they did.. my buddy Robert got a room and not only a room but it's at a hotel that is only 3 blocks from the convention center (it's the closest that I have ever stayed), so as of right now things are looking up for SDCC hotel rooms.

And in other Convention news I finally got my Star Wars Celebration badges. This has been an ordeal as I changed my address on their website but it didn't seem to work as they sent the badges to my old home address. Luckily I'm still in contact with the owners of my former house so I was able to email him and ask him to keep an eye out for it. I also contacted SW Celebration and they said there wasn't much they could do since the badges were already sent out. They did say that if I didn't get them a week before the con to contact them. Well a few days ago I got an email informing me that the badges could not be delivered and returned. They asked for my new address, which I gave them and today they arrived in my mail box.

I don't know what it is but I seem to have a "con" curse this year. Everything seems to workout in the end man is it a roller coaster of a ride to get to it.

NerdStrong Gym - Barbell Rows and Deadlifts

Strength day at NerdStrong Gym. Coach Andrew was running this one. And actually only two people showed up for the 7am class.. me and my buddy Derek. So it was more like a one on one session with the coach (which is awesome).

It was a good warm up, Butt Kickers, 5x Squats, 5x V Ups, then High Kicks and again 5x Squats, 5x V Ups, Toy Soliders, 5x Squats, 5x V Ups, Lunges, then 5x Squats, 5x V Ups, 10x PVC Good Mornings and finally our final 5x Squats, 5x V Ups.

Now for the workout we were doing Barbell Rows and Deadlifts.

First were Barbells and we were doing 5 sets of 5 reps and then 1 set for 10 reps. This was more about form and less about weight. We weren't doing our one rep max to see how much we could do. And since it was just Derek and I, Andrew got to spend plenty of time correcting our form.  I would get the form and then lose it as there is a lot of remember when lifting.

We then did Deadlifts and again like with the Barbell Rows it was all about form and less about strength though we did do 5 sets and decreased the reps and increased the weight as we went... 8 / 6 / 4 / 3 / 2. Again like with any of the barbell work there is alot to remember when lifting and though I try and do my best some of them just don't stick in my brain.

Another good workout day at NerdStrong Gym. Thanks Coach Andrew for your patience, with yours and the other coaches continued guidance I'm sure I'll get the correct forms down in time. NerdStrong Gym is the best!!

NerdStrong Gym - Sorting Hat Gone Wrong

Today's "CON" workout was a Harry Potter themed workout and I just happen to be wearing my Hufflepuff shirt to workout.. woot!!!

This one was titled The Sorting Hat Is Having A Bad Day and was created by Coach Blair the night before.

It was all about randomness. Like with the Skittle workout we used a D8 and D20 to determine how many reps you had to do during that set.

We made two groups of three. I was teamed up with the ladies that I worked out with yesterday, Lauren and Bailey. We then pulled one random piece of paper from the four different hats (groups). Each piece of paper had a workout on it from the four different categories. We then rolled a dice to see how many we were doing of that workout.

We did five rounds and each round was 4 minutes long, so if you finished you just repeated the set again and again until 4 minutes was up.  Here is how our workout turned out. First round we did 13x Russian Twists, 100 Meter Row, 7x Dumbbell Rows & 8x Wall Balls. Not a bad first round, we got lucky with some rolls.

Our second round was 13x Sit Ups, 2x Dumbbell Thrusters, 50x Mountain Climbers and 1x Ring Row. Again not bad and we really got lucky with the 1 and 2 rolls. But with less reps just means you do more sets to fill up that 4 minutes. So by the end you really aren't doing any less.

For our third round Blair let us pick one from each category and how many times we wanted to do it. I didn't feel comfortable picking how many times and so my team agreed that we'd roll the dice and see what fate would give us. We started with the 100 Meter Row, then 11x Bananas, 5x Bicep Curls and finally 5x Push Ups.

Round four we went back to randomness, we got 5x Dumbbell Thrusts,  12x Bananas (which we were not happy with as they are horrible), 50x Mountain Climbers and then 8x Dumbbell Rows. Now you've been doing this a while and you're starting to feel it.

For our fifth and final round once again Blair let us pick a workout from each category but he specified that we had to choose something that we had not done yet. So we wound up with 8x Burpees, 8x Slam Balls, 17 Sit Ups and 140 Meter Run. I'm the one who rolled for this set and got the highest numbers possible for Burpees and Slam Balls and almost got the max of 20 for Sit Ups. This was probably the hardest workout set of all the rounds and it was also partly due to the fact that it was our last set and we were exhausted.

Overall it was an amazing workout. I may have rolled my eyes a few times at Coach Blair when he asked us to continue to finish off a set though time had ran out.. but he knows I appreciate him and all the coaches at NerdStrong. And I have to say I love these "random" workouts. I hope we get more of them in the future (hint hint).

Afterwards Coach Andrew and Coach Blair retooled the workout a bit so the evening classes got a bit of a different workout then the morning classes.

Am I Ashamed of Being Gay?

Of course my answer would be no. I'm happy with who I am as a human being, I like me and my life. I think I'm a fairly good person and try and treat everyone I meet the same. But there are those times when I do question that.. and I don't know if ashamed is the correct word.. maybe it's embarrassed, disappointed or insecure.. what ever term you use it's not good and I hate feeling this way.

Example... when I wear this t-shirt (in photo). It states that Some Dudes Marry Dudes, Get Over It. Now I guess the person wearing this doesn't necessarily need to be gay, they could be a support of LGBT community. But when I wear this shirt I make sure I wear it in appropriate places and I hate that I think like that. When I put this shirt on today I thought to myself. Okay I'm bringing lunch to work so I won't have to go outside for any reason, I'll just remain in my office all day.. yeah it's okay to wear it then. When I'm at work and I leave my office to go to the bathroom (which is down the hall from the our offices) and there are other people walking in the opposite direction I tend to turn my body or fold my arms over the chest so you can't really read the words on the shirt. It's stupid and I hate that I do that but for whatever reason I do.

I don't know if it's because I don't want to make the other person uncomfortable, or the fact that I don't like conflict and this is a way to avoid it, or maybe I care what this complete stranger thinks about me (which is totally stupid). But I think the main reason has to do with fear.. I been called faggot a few times, given the evil eye and threatened with bodily harm. It's hard to predict how a person (a complete stranger) will react when they find out your gay... in a worse case scenario you are beaten to a pulp, strapped to a fence and left for dead. 

I know the feeling is irrational and luckily I don't feel that way 95% of the time but I guess it's just part of being a gay man in a world where 50% of the people hate you, 25% tolerate you and only 25% accept you for who you are.

Resisting Fast Food

Today I struggled with eating out food. I've only eaten out food one time the past few weeks and I have my good and bad days when it comes to temptation. If you know me you know I use to eat fast food three to four times a week, but I've been trying hard to cut back. But today was a particular bad day. I had made me some chicken breast for lunch but it wasn't enough so I had a few bags of chips (Sun chips and Baked chips) but chips non-the-less. Around 5pm I was extremely hungry and didn't want to eat more chips so I tried to drink water to fill up my stomach but it didn't work and I was starting to feel sick to my stomach.

I decided that I'd run down to McDonalds (it's close to my job) and grab some french fries, I've been craving them the past few days. So I made my way to the elevator debating this decision over and over in my head, and when I got to the elevator I opted that it wasn't a good idea so I headed back to my office and was determined to wait until I got home at 7:30 and eat dinner. A few minutes passed and my stomach wasn't doing well so I said screw it.. I'm going to get some french fries. I once again got up and made my way to the elevator debating weather I should or should not do this and once again I opted not to go and headed back to the office. I must have looked funny to my co-workers walking back and forth a few times for no apparent reason. I even did the two steps forwards, then a few steps back and so on a couple of time. It was a huge struggle but I'm happy to say that I did not get the fries. I actually found some snacks in the kitchen that weren't to bad for me.

When I got off work at 7pm the same dilemma happened. I was so hungry that I figured I'd stop by Fat Burger and get me a turkey burger, but of course if I get a turkey burger I'll probably grab some fat fries to go with it, so I resisted and immediately got on the freeway but with every exit I kept thinking, oh I can pick up some El Pollo at this exit, and oh I can get some Taco Bell at that exit but I'm happy to say that I resisted and wound up making dinner at home.

I know dealing with my fast food addiction is going to be tough, I mean it is an addiction after all.  And I won't get over it in a matter of months but I am hoping that after a while it won't be such a struggle

SDCC Hotel Lottery, Cosplay Body Types & New X-Files

When I got home from the gym it was time to sign up for the Hotel Lottery for San Diego Comic Con. I have tried every year since going to SDCC and have had no luck with it. But I have had friends get great hotels this way so I always give it a try. In the past if you didn't fill out the form and send it within two minutes you didn't get the hotels you wanted.. it took me 2 1/2 minutes to complete the form so I'm more then likely out.. but you never know.

I came across this picture and it really struck a cord with me. I have always felt that anyone should be able to cosplay anyone they wish to and this pictures represent that feeling. For me personally I try and cosplay people that I feel fit my body type. I'm short and stocky so I don't feel I can pull off someone like Superman but I'm happy to be a Dwarf or a Hobbit.

News broke today that Fox is bringing back The X-Files for a six episode limited run. Both of the main stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny will be reprising their roles of the F.B.I. agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Also the creator Chris Carter will be back as well. This is fantastic news, I've been a huge fan of this series since it premiered back in 1993, I've seen every episode of the nine seasons and watched the two tie in movies. I'm super excited to see what they come up with for the storyline. I hope it's something special. 

NerdStrong Gym - Just The Three Of Us

It's so funny to me that I miss going to NerdStrong Gym on the days I don't go, which is Monday's and Friday's (this will be changing soon), but I never thought in a million years I'd anticipate going to the gym with such excitement.

When I woke up today I was super excited that today was Tuesday because that means NerdStrong Gym day!!!

When I arrived I noticed that coach Blair was teaching class today. I also noticed that I was the only person there for the 7am class. Luckily just before 7 two more people arrived so we were a team of three.

We started with a Jump Rope warm up. We did 10 jumps, then 20, then 30 and so on up to 50 jumps and then we made our way back down to 10. It wasn't timed, we just have to complete it. By the end of the warm up we jumped rope 250 times.

Now for the workout, this was broken down into four different things and from the looks of it we weren't going to get everything done. The 6am class only got through the first two things and I figured we'd probably do the same. We started with 5 rounds of 6x Weighted Box Step-Overs followed by 1x Wall Walk. Before we started these we went over both things.. the Box Step Overs are pretty self explanatory. You hold kettle bells in your hands and then step up on to the box and step down on the other side of the box, we had to do this three times for a total of six step ups. The Wall Walks is exactly what you expect with a name like Wall Walk. You start by lying on the floor with your feet up against the wall, you then literally walk yourself up the wall and start to climb until you are doing a handstand against the wall. I actually took to these extremely fast. I got up with no assistance the first time. I think it helps that I have a bit of upper body strength.

Once we were done with our 5 rounds we moved on to our next set of workouts. Since there were only three of us Blair gave us the option of which set we wanted to do. The consensus was the third workout which consisted of 12x Sit Ups, 10x Push Ups and 8x Dumbbell Thrusters. We had to do four rounds of each. These are basic moves but after a while it get's tough and I was super happy when we finished.

As predicted we didn't have time for any more workout, our hour had concluded. It was nice having a smaller class as it felt like we were getting a one on one session with the coach. We took our time to learn each move and coach Blair made sure we were doing it properly. It was also fun to see coach Blair so excited when we accomplished a task that we had never done before for the first time. His enthusiasm transferred into us and made us feel great.  Thanks coach Blair for all your awesomeness and encouragement... it's much appreciated.

New Agents of SHIELD

I skipped my run this morning as I picked up my friends Robert and Cait last night. They were due to fly into LAX at 11:45 but instead didn't get in until 12:45am and weren't off the plane until 1am. Needless to say when I got home and in bed it was 2am and there was no way I was going to get up at 7am and go for a jog. So I took the day off.

When I got home from work I watched a few TV shows that I had put off watching as I usual watch them with my buddy Erik. He has been in Florida the past few weeks so we have a build up of shows to watch. Tonight we watched the last two episode of Agents of SHIELD. 

We started with S2 Ep 12 "Who You Really Are" Coulson and the team help Lady Sif, who lost her memory after a fight with a mysterious warrior.

It was great to see Lady Sif again, she's always a favorite of mine and I'm happy to get a bit more information about the Kree and Inhumans. I love that they didn't keep the "will the team find out about Skye" storyline going for more then an episode. And I really enjoyed how everyone reacted to the news.. especially May. She's very protective of Skye and she was about to take on an Asgardian to protect her. I'm happy to see that Simmons is softening a bit towards the "them" and "us" mentality. I want a resolution to this Mack and Bobbi storyline. We learned they most certainly were not Hydra, even as their secrecy and intensity, and belief that whatever they’re doing will likely turn everyone against them, raised lots of intriguing questions. I can't wait to see what that is all about and hopefully that will be soon.

Overall it was an enjoyable episode, we got lots of information about who and what these inhumans are and why they were created. We got a few twists and turns and I'm very happy that the core group of characters are sticking together.

And then we watched S2 Ep 13 "One of Us" Cal assembles a team of gifted individuals from SHIELD's Index that include Angar the Screamer and KF Gideon, to get revenge on Coulson. Meanwhile, May calls on her SHIELD ex-husband Dr. Garners - a therapist who may be able to help Skye understand and control her gift.

This was a wild episode, Cal is so crazy and he gather some crazy people to hang with. Those this storyline was the main one I was happy with the b-story with Mack and Bobbi and us finally finding out who they are working for, though this brought up more questions then answers. Who is this "Real" SHIELD. An interesting turn for Skye and controlling her powers. I like that we get a little bit more info about Agent May and her personal life. I liked how Fitts and Simmons slipped back into their fun banter like it was before his accident.

Another enjoyable episode, I can't wait to find out more about these "mysterious" other "inhumans". I love the effects used for the teleporter.  I look forward to seeing the growth of Skye and her powers. And of course who these "real" SHIELD people are.

D&D / Pathfinder - Trapped in a Room

After my workout I had a few hours to watch some TV and eat some lunch before heading to D&D / Pathfinder. Several of the players were not joining us today and that always makes it more difficult when it comes to battles. We ended our last session entering a room that had the two men that we were looking for but they erected a wall of zombies and were using magic to protect themselves.

As this session started the door closed behind us, locked and a force field of sorts went up around the room making sure we couldn't get out. One of their first spells was a silencing spell, so none of us could talk which meant none of the spell casters (including me, DASH) could cast spells rendered us pretty much useless. We then spent the next five hours in that room, knocking down zombies, doing a bit a damage to the two main guys but then they would just heal each other and revive the zombies again and again and again.

Finally with just a few minutes left in the session and on round 8 the silence spell went down. I was able to cast one spell that didn't seem to do much damage. We managed to blow up a zombie orge and our leader (Ginnon) and second in command (Phlige) managed to switch bodies. And the session was over.

This session was different then all the other sessions that came before it as this is the first time that we never made it out of the room that we started in. The entire session took place in that room and will continue at the beginning of our next session. It was a frustrating for Dash as he couldn't really do much, since he couldn't cast any spells and his dagger (at most causes 6 hp of damage), it was also difficult to move around in that room as it was small and there were a ton of people/zombies in there.

Hopefully we can finish off this battle early on during our next session so we can move on and get out of this room.

I want to thank Dallas, our DM who always does an amazing  job with every session.

NerdStrong Gym - Pillage and Plunder, Viking Workout

I love Sundays at NerdStrong Gym

Today's themed workout is titled "Viking"

This is an older workout so some folks have done this workout before, though I did hear this one was modified and is not as crazy as the last Viking workout.

The warm up was a workout unto itself. We had to do 7 Wall Squats, Run a 140 meters, 7 Sit Ups, 7 Lunges and then 7 PVC Dislocates. We had to do this as many times in 8 minutes. I manged to do it almost four times.

Now that we were thoroughly exhausted the actual workout could begin. Coach David was teaching the class with help from coach Christy. David is awesome and really gets into the themed workouts.

He explained that we are Viking about to pillage a village. We first have to row 500 meters to the shoreline, then we had to grab a weapon (clubs or maces) and then run 500 meters (two laps around the parking lot) to get to the village. Once there you took a mace and started attacking people, 50 to be exact. This was taking a mace and slamming it down on a large tire. We then grabbed a boulder  (Slamball) and for good measures smashed their heads in. This was taking a Slamball and doing 50 Slamball drops. We then had to grab a fallen comrade (weighted Sandbag) and run those 500 meters back to the boat and drop the body in the waiting Funeral Pyre (large tire).

We did it in waves of three people and I was part of wave two with Derek and Miles. I'm happy to say that I finished pretty strong. It was tough but once you find your grove you just do it and try not to let the pain get to you. Afterwards it only took me a few minutes to recover and I was good to go.

Themed workouts are my favorite of all the workouts. Yes they are usually harder but also alot of fun as well. I want to Thank David and Christy for the awesome coaching job and congrats Lauren for completing her first Sunday themed workout. Next Sunday we do an Aliens themed workout.. can't wait to see what that entails.